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Indicators · Industries and economic structure

Employment in agriculture

Share of employed people working in agriculture, forestry and fishing (ILO modelled estimates).

Why it matters

Shows how far the economy has moved from farming and the size of the market for agri-finance, crop insurance, inputs and processing.

Read with care

Modelled by the ILO. Informal and seasonal farm work is hard to measure.

Source

World Bank

% of employment. 53 African countries, 1991 to 2025.

Farm jobs: highest in Mozambique, lowest in Mauritius

Employment in agriculture, % of employment. Latest year available, 2025. 15 of 16 countries have data.

20%
40%
60%
No data
Loading map…
Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: farm jobsiWhy it mattersShows how far the economy has moved from farming and the size of the market for agri-finance, crop insurance, inputs and processing.

Click a country to highlight it.

0%20%40%60%80%Mozambique73.0%Madagascar69.2%Malawi65.0%Tanzania64.6%DRC58.5%Zambia54.5%Zimbabwe54.3%Angola51.9%Comoros33.6%Lesotho30.9%Namibia22.3%Botswana18.0%Eswatini14.5%South Africa5.4%Mauritius4.7%median 51.9%
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 51.9%Lowest: Mauritius 4.7%Highest: Mozambique 73.0%

Over time

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Employment in agriculture against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%80.0%$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)Farm jobsDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMadagascarMalawiZambia
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Mozambique73.0%2025little changed since 2020A
2Madagascar69.2%2025down 2.2 points since 2020A
3Malawi65.0%2025little changed since 2020A
4Tanzania64.6%2025down 1.2 point since 2020A
5DRC58.5%2025down 2.4 points since 2020A
6Zambia54.5%2025down 4.6 points since 2020A
7Zimbabwe54.3%2025down 4.3 points since 2020A
8Angola51.9%2025down 3.6 points since 2020A
9Comoros33.6%2025down 2.1 points since 2020A
10Lesotho30.9%2025down 0.6 points since 2020A
11Namibia22.3%2025down 1.3 point since 2020A
12Botswana18.0%2025down 1.4 point since 2020A
13Eswatini14.5%2025up 1.1 point since 2020A
14South Africa5.4%2025little changed since 2020A
15Mauritius4.7%2025down 0.6 points since 2020A
–SeychellesNo recent data